Thyroid Cancer—Risks and Causes

Abstract

The incidence of thyroid cancer has almost doubled in recent years and over 60,000 people will be diagnosed in the US in 2015. While the prognosis for most such patients is excellent, a significant proportion die of thyroid cancer from local tumor progression and above all from metastases. Here we review the different types of thyroid cancers and their molecular changes with a special emphasis on the currently known susceptibility and precipitating factors. With the recent clinical introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of metastatic thyroid cancer it is clear that a simple cure is not at hand and further understanding of the molecular mechanisms of these tumors is urgently needed.